Hide

WLE Austria Logo (no text).svgWiki Loves Earth photo contest: Upload photos of
natural heritage sites in the Philippines to help Wikipedia and win fantastic
prizes!
Bokeh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Bokeh (disambiguation).

Coarse bokeh on a photo shot with an 85 mm lens and 70 mm entrance pupil diameter,
which corresponds to f/1.2

An example of a portrait photo (of Katherine Maher). Note the 'swirly' bokeh.

How the bokeh varies with the aperture.

In photography, bokeh (/'bo?ke?/ BOH-kay � also sometimes pronounced as /'bo?k?/
BOH-k?,[1] Japanese: [boke]) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the
out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens.[2][3][4] Bokeh has been defined
as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light".[5] Differences in lens
aberrations and aperture shape cause some lens designs to blur the image in a way
that is pleasing to the eye, while others produce blurring that is unpleasant or
distracting�"good" and "bad" bokeh, respectively.[6] Bokeh occurs for parts of the
scene that lie outside the depth of field. Photographers sometimes deliberately use
a shallow focus technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions.

Bokeh is often most visible around small background highlights, such as specular
reflections and light sources, which is why it is often associated with such areas.
[6] However, bokeh is not limited to highlights; blur occurs in all out-of-focus
regions of the image.

Contents
1 Origin
2 Bokeh and lens design
3 Emulation
4 Other applications
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
Origin
The term comes from the Japanese word boke (?? or ??), which means "blur" or
"haze", or boke-aji (???), the "blur quality". The Japanese term boke is also used
in the sense of a mental haze or senility.[7] The term bokashi (???) is related,
meaning intentional blurring or gradation.

The English spelling bokeh was popularized in 1997 in Photo Techniques magazine,
when Mike Johnston, the editor at the time, commissioned three papers on the topic
for the March/April 1997 issue; he altered the spelling to suggest the correct
pronunciation to English speakers, saying "it is properly pronounced with bo as in
bone and ke as in Kenneth, with equal stress on either syllable".[8] The spellings
bokeh and boke have both been in use since at least 1996, when Merklinger had
suggested "or Bokeh if you prefer."[9] The term bokeh has appeared in photography
books as early as 1998.[2] It is sometimes pronounced /'bo?k?/ (boke-uh).[1]

Bokeh and lens design

The depth of field is the region where the size of the circle of confusion is less
than the resolution of the human eye.
Though difficult to quantify, some lenses have subjectively more pleasing out-of-
focus areas. "Good" bokeh is especially important for macro lenses and long
telephoto lenses, because they are typically used in situations that produce
shallow depth of field. Good bokeh is also important for medium telephoto lenses
(typically 85�150 mm on 35 mm format). When used in portrait photography (for their
"natural" perspective), the photographer usually wants a shallow depth of field, so
that the subject stands out sharply against a blurred background.

Bokeh characteristics may be quantified by examining the image's circle of

confusion. In out-of-focus areas, each point of light becomes an image of the
aperture, generally a more or less round disc. Depending on how a lens is corrected
for spherical aberration, the disc may be uniformly illuminated, brighter near the
edge, or brighter near the center. A well-known lens that exhibited the latter
"soap-bubble" characteristic was that produced by Hugo Meyer & Co., more recently
revived by Meyer Optik G�rlitz.[10]

Lenses that are poorly corrected for spherical aberration will show one kind of
disc for out-of-focus points in front of the plane of focus, and a different kind
for points behind.[11] This may actually be desirable, as blur circles that are
dimmer near the edges produce less-defined shapes which blend smoothly with the
surrounding image. The shape of the aperture has an influence on the subjective
quality of bokeh as well. For conventional lens designs (with bladed apertures),
when a lens is stopped down smaller than its maximum aperture size (minimum f-
number), out-of-focus points are blurred into the polygonal shape formed by the
aperture blades. This is most apparent when a lens produces hard-edged bokeh. For
this reason, some lenses have many aperture blades and/or blades with curved edges
to make the aperture more closely approximate a circle rather than a polygon.
Minolta has been on the forefront of promoting and introducing lenses with near-
ideal circular apertures since 1987, but most other manufacturers now offer lenses
with shape-optimized diaphragms, at least for the domain of portraiture
photography. In contrast, a catadioptric telephoto lens renders bokehs resembling
doughnuts, because its secondary mirror blocks the central part of the aperture
opening. Recently, photographers have exploited the shape of the bokeh by creating
a simple mask out of card with shapes such as hearts or stars, that the
photographer wishes the bokeh to be, and placing it over the lens.[12]

Lenses with 11, 12, or 15 blade iris diaphragms are often claimed to excel in bokeh
quality. Because of this, the lenses do not need to reach wide apertures to get
better circles (instead of polygons). In the past, wide aperture lenses (f/2,
f/2.8) were very expensive, due to the complex mathematical design and
manufacturing know-how required, at a time when all computations and glass making
were done by hand. Leica could reach a good bokeh at f/4.5. Today it is much easier
to make an f/1.8 lens, and a 9-bladed lens at f/1.8 is enough for an 85mm lens to
achieve great bokeh.

Some lens manufacturers including Nikon,[13] Minolta, and Sony make lenses designed
with specific controls to change the rendering of the out-of-focus areas.

The Nikon 105 mm DC-Nikkor[14] and 135 mm DC-Nikkor[15] lenses (DC stands for
"Defocus Control") have a control ring that permits the overcorrection or
undercorrection of spherical aberration to change the bokeh in front of and behind
the focal plane.

The Minolta/Sony STF 135mm f/2.8 [T4.5] (with STF standing for smooth trans focus)
is a lens specifically designed to produce pleasing bokeh. It is possible to choose
between two diaphragms: one with 9 and another with 10 blades. An apodization
filter is used to soften the aperture edges which results in a smooth defocused
area with gradually fading circles. Those qualities made it the only lens of this
kind on the market from its introduction in 1999 to 2014. In 2014 Fujifilm
announced a lens utilizing a similar apodization filter in the Fujinon XF 56mm F1.2
R APD lens.[16] Sony added the Sony FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS in 2017.[17]
The 'Sigma YS System Focusing' 135mm f/2.8 also has an extra manually-moved
component, intended to compensate for aberration at close-focus distances. It can
be re-purposed for defocus control. [18]

In 2015, Meyer Optik USA Inc. launched a Kickstarter campaign to produce the
Trioplan f2.9/50, a new lens based on one originally produced by Hugo Meyer & Co.;
both lenses exhibit a characteristic "soap-bubble" bokeh.[19]

The use of anamorphic lenses will cause bokeh to appear differently along the
horizontal and vertical axes of the lens, becoming ellipsoidal compared to those in
a spherical lens.

In 2016, Apple Inc. released the iPhone 7 which can take pictures with "Portrait
Mode" (a bokeh like effect).[20]

In 2017, Vivo released a smartphone with dual front lenses for selfies with bokeh.
The first, a 20 MP lens, uses a 1/2.78" sensor with f/2.0 aperture, while the
second, an 8 MP f/2.0 lens, captures depth information. Bokeh can be made with a
combination of both lenses, and shots can be refocused even after they are
captured, adding bokeh effects with different depths.[21]

In early 2018, Honor 9 Lite smartphone is released with quad cameras or can be said
as a camera with two dual-lens shooters. In the back and front of the camera have
each 13MP main lens and 2MP lens for capturing depth information (bokeh).[22]

An extremely shallow depth of field, a common effect in macrophotography,

emphasizes bokeh.

200 mm lens at f/2.

The bokeh produced by a catadioptric lens (also called a mirror lens).

An example of the bokeh produced by the Canon 85 mm prime f/1.8 lens. The polygonal
shapes are due to the 8-bladed aperture diaphragm being slightly closed. At its
full aperture (f/1.8) these shapes would be smooth and not polygonal.

Catadioptric lens bokeh seen in more detail.

An example of the creative application of bokeh.

An example of the bokeh produced by the Canon 18�55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens.

A bokeh created with Nikon D3300 Camera 18-55mm f/3.4-5.6 G VR II Lens.

Emulation

No bokeh or blur Synthetic bokeh Gaussian blur

Bokeh can be simulated by convolving the image with a kernel that corresponds to
the image of an out-of-focus point source taken with a real camera. Unlike
conventional convolution, this convolution has a kernel that depends on the
distance of each image point and � at least in principle � has to include image
points that are occluded by objects in the foreground.[23] Also, bokeh is not just
any blur. To a first approximation, defocus blur is convolution by a uniform disk,
a more computationally intensive operation than the "standard" Gaussian blur; the
former produces sharp circles around highlights whereas the latter is a much softer
effect. Diffraction may alter the effective shape of the blur. Some graphics
editors have a filter to do this, usually called "Lens Blur."[24]

Different types of bokeh

An alternative mechanical mechanism has been proposed for generating bokeh in small
aperture cameras such as compacts or cellphone cameras, called image
destabilisation,[25][26] in which both the lens and sensor are moved in order to
maintain focus at one focal plane, while defocusing nearby ones. This effect
currently generates blur in only one axis.

Some advanced digital cameras have bokeh features which take several images with
different apertures and focuses and then manually compose them afterward to one
image. More advanced systems of bokeh use a hardware system of 2 sensors, one
sensor to take photo as usual while other ones record depth information. Bokeh
effect and refocusing can then be applied to an image after the photo is taken.[27]

Other applications
In 2009,[28] a research group at MIT Media Lab showed that the bokeh effect can be
used to make imperceptibly small barcodes, or bokodes. By using barcodes as small
as 3 mm with a small lens over them, if the barcode is viewed out of focus through
an ordinary camera focused at infinity, the resulting image is large enough to scan
the information in the barcode.[29]

See also

subtle swirly bokeh in the background

swirly bokeh
Aberration in optical systems
Airy disk
Anamorphic format
Circle of confusion
Light-field camera
Mandelbaum effect
Orb (optics)
Soft focus
Special effect
References
Wes McDermott (2009). Real World Modo: The Authorized Guide: In the Trenches with
Modo. Focal Press. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-240-81199-4.
Gerry Kopelow (1998). How to photograph buildings and interiors (2nd ed.).
Princeton Architectural Press. pp. 118�119. ISBN 978-1-56898-097-3.
Roger Hicks and Christopher Nisperos (2000). Hollywood Portraits: Classic Shots
and How to Take Them. Amphoto Books. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-8174-4020-6.
Tom Ang (2002). Dictionary of Photography and Digital Imaging: The Essential
Reference for the Modern Photographer. Watson�Guptill. ISBN 0-8174-3789-4.
 "PhotoWords/Lens". PhotoGuide Japan.
Harold Davis (2008). Practical Artistry: Light & Exposure for Digital
Photographers. O'Reilly Media. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-596-52988-8.
John W. Traphagan (2000). Taming oblivion: aging bodies and the fear of senility
in Japan. SUNY Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-7914-4499-3.
Johnston, Mike (April 4, 2004). "The Sunday Morning Photographer, 2004: Bokeh in
Pictures". luminous-landscape.com. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
Merklinger, Harold. "Understanding Boke". luminous-landscape.com. Retrieved July
3, 2009.
Blog. "How to Create Soap Bubble Bokeh".
Todd Vorenkamp. "Understanding Bokeh".
Karsten Stroemvig. "DIY � Create your own Bokeh".
"AF DC-Nikkor 135mm f/2D Single Focal Length FX Auto Focus Lenses NIKKOR Lenses".
europe-nikon.com. Retrieved 2015-05-01.
"AF DC-NIKKOR 105mm f/2D from Nikon".
"AF DC-NIKKOR 135mm f/2D from Nikon".
"Fujifilm introduces XF 56mm F1.2 R APD with apodization filter". DPReview.
"Neu von Sony: E-Mount-Objektive 100 mm F2.8 STF GM, FE 85 mm F1.8; Blitz HVL-
F45RM". Photoscala (in German). 2017-02-07. Archived from the original on 2017-02-
11. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
Markus Keinath. "Cheap DC Nikkor Substitute".
Meyer-Optik-G�rlitz / net SE. "Meyer Optik brings back legendary Trioplan f2.8/100
'soap bubble' bokeh lens with Kickstarter campaign".
"Apple Just Released Their Fake Bokeh Portrait Mode to Everyone". PetaPixel. 2016-
10-24. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
"vivo V5 Plus becomes official with dual front camera, Snapdragon 625". January
18, 2017.
ABHISHEK BAXI (February 8, 2018). "Honor 9 Lite review: four lenses on a budget".
Retrieved March 30, 2018.
Potmesil, M.; Chakravarty, I. (1982), Synthetic Image Generation with a Lens and
Aperture Camera Model, ACM Transactions on Graphics, 1 (2 (1982)), ACM, pp. 85�108,
doi:10.1145/357299.357300, ISSN 0730-0301
Adobe Photoshop CS3 Livedocs. "Add lens blur".
Giles, Jim. "Next-generation cameras bring photography tricks to the masses". New
Scientist (Subscription required). Retrieved 2011-04-04.
Ankit Mohan and Douglas Lanman and Shinsaku Hiura and Ramesh Raskar. "Image
Destabilization: Programmable Defocus using Lens and Sensor Motion". Archived from
the original on 2009-09-24.
Lars Rehm (March 25, 2014). "HTC launches One M8 with new 'Duo Camera'".
Fildes, Jonathan (2009-07-27). "Technology | Barcode replacement shown off". BBC
News. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
Mohan, A., Woo, G, Hiura, S, Smithwick, Q, Raskar, R. Bokode: Imperceptible Visual
Tags for Camera Based Interaction from a Distance Archived July 30, 2009, at the
Wayback Machine.. ACM SIGGRAPH 2009.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bokeh.
Look up bokeh in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Ken Rockwell Bokeh
H.H. Nasse Depth of Field and Bokeh � Carl Zeiss
Tool allowing to compare background blur of different lenses and cameras
How to evaluate bokeh
Understanding Bokeh
Bokeh in olypedia.de (German)
[show] v t e
Photography
Categories: Japanese words and phrasesScience of photography
Navigation menu
Not logged inTalkContributionsCreate accountLog inArticleTalkReadEditView
historySearch
Search Wikipedia
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons

Languages
???????
Deutsch
Espa�ol
Fran�ais
???
Portugu�s
???????
?????
??
26 more
Edit links
This page was last edited on 30 March 2018, at 05:32.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;
additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy. Wikipedia� is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation,
Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policyAbout WikipediaDisclaimersContact WikipediaDevelopersCookie
statementMobile viewWikimedia Foundation Powered by MediaWiki